What Are Christmas Kissing Balls?

When it comes to Christmas decorations, there are a few things that immediately come to mind, like DIY wreaths, handmade ornaments, and Christmas lights galore. But wait—aren’t you forgetting something? Christmas kissing balls are a classic decoration that often get left in celebrations past, but in recent years, the evergreen décor has been popping up left and right on Pinterest and in real life. In fact, you've probably seen them hanging near the cash register for purchase at your local Christmas tree farm. (If you like the image you clicked on originally, you can buy that Christmas kissing ball here.)

So, what are Christmas kissing balls? Often confused with mistletoe, these small, medium, and large decorative bunches of holly and evergreen leaves hang from the ceiling (or wherever you install them) in voluptuous ball shapes. Christmas kissing balls are a vintage Christmas decoration that's making a major comeback. They can be accented with pine cones, berries, ribbon—anything festive, really. So why are there Christmas kissing balls and mistletoe put out during the month of December? Wouldn't just one suffice? Well, think of Christmas kissing balls as mistletoe's big sister, since they came first. Here's what you need to know.

What's the history of Christmas kissing balls?

While Christmas kissing balls are picture-perfect in and of themselves, it’s what they stand for that makes them so symbolic of the holidays. Back in the Middle Ages, villagers would tie holly branches and leaves together with twine to craft balls of all shapes and sizes. However, beyond just natural greenery, they would nestle a small baby Jesus figurine in the middle to complete what they referred to as holy boughs. Most often, these decorations were hung over entryways as a beacon for blessings and good tidings to all that walked beneath them.

While these holy boughs were customary among Christians for centuries, they fell off the map once the Puritans came into rule in the 17th century and didn’t make a reappearance again until the English Victorian Era in the 1800s. They also took on a new look, featuring a potato or apple core decorated with evergreen sprigs. At that point, the Christmas kissing balls were hung—with mistletoe added to them, thanks to Charles Dickens romanticizing the plant in two of his books—for single young women to line up underneath to be kissed by an eligible man. But eventually, the trend changed, and became just a few small sprigs of mistletoe hung over a door.

How are Christmas kissing balls used today?

As fragrant as these new Christmas kissing balls were, many people began to realize that the fruit and veggie cores might not last throughout the entire holiday season, let alone more than one. As such, balls made with foam cores came into the picture in the mid 1900s, and along with them came the inclusion of mistletoe.

Before long, mistletoe (and the perk of being able to sneak a kiss beneath it) took over as the mainstream, and Christmas kissing balls all but disappeared. But fortunately, for anyone who likes to get in the festive spirit, the spherical decorations are back and better than ever in the 21st century. Now, you can purchase fresh and faux Christmas kissing balls from your local garden center or home goods shop, or if you’re feeling crafty, DIY your very own.

If you want to opt for the latter, scroll below for a quick tutorial.